St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-11-24
BETTER DEATH THAN CAPTURE.
Vermont Soldiers Run for Liberty
Neac York Tribune

BETTER DEATH THAN CAPTURE.
A Vermont Soldiers Run for Liberty
Ne,o York Tribune.
If you wish it 1 will tell you the sto-
ry of a beautiful Sunday morning,
August 81, 1864, % years ago. L was
soldier then, younger than a good
many others, but yet veteran. We
were encamped near Berry vile, in the
Shenandoah valley of Virginia, only a
little way from Charlestown where
John Brown was hanged. We had
gotten rything ready for the usual
Sunday morning inspection, and L was
just admiring an ambrotype, received
in that mornings mail, of my little
sweetheart-yes, she is my wife now,
bless her, and we have grown up
daughters older than she was then
when we were surprised to hear the
not very distant report of cannon
and the next minute shell whlstled
over our heads, through the tops of
the chestnut and oak trees of the beau
tiful grove where we were encamped.
In a moment every mans knapsack
was slung and we were in line for bat
tie. l don't remember to have heard
any command the men instinctively
and quickly took their places and
waited for the next movement OF the
enemy. We could see that they were
driving in our cavalry pickets at a
lively rate, and expected to see their
infantry column show up at any mo-
ment across the meadow in our front.
~ shall never forget the feeling of
what may be called exultatiOn with
which l watched, thinking what a
glorious change was before us from the
bunting of our heads against the enc
my's works, as we had always done in
the army of the Potomac. Here we
were in an open field where we could
see what was before us. Well, we
didn't have to wait for them. In IA few
moments our gallant old Vermont brig
AIDE was ordered to charge and re-es-
tablish the line the enemy had so sud-
denly driven in, and the duty was
quickly and thoroughly performed.
My own regiment, the Sd Vermont,
sometimes called Smiths chickens,
because l suppose they thought our
colonel, w. F. Smith, 'Old Badly as
we called him, rather favored us while
he commanded the second division of
the sixth army corps, and the 9Th Yer
mont were deplOyed as skirmishers,
and i'm our advance across the fields we
came to ledge of rocks that we could
not see until we reached it, rs the
meadow extended to it's very top and
we found an almost perpendicular de-
scent for 20 or 80 feet. This compell-
ed the line to break to the right and
left to get around it, and when we
came together, some 20 rods perhaps
in front, there seemed to be a gap be-
tween our line and that of the 9th.
Sergt. InglesOn of company E of the
9th happened to be on the left of his
regiment and myself on the right of
my own. We were both old friends
from the same town in Vermont, and
you may he sure we were pleased to
find that we two just filled this gap in
the line.
"An advance of a few rods brought
us to little clump of three or four
small chestnut or oak trees, where the
farmer had piled up a few rocks, pick
ed up on the meadow. They made an
excellent little breast work, and as the
line did not advance beyond this point
we quickly took advantage of IT..
About 40 rods or so in our front was a
stone wall and along this line two or
three trees stood at intervals of q few
|
ed to be rebel line of battle, and we
were kept busy until [ found my last
cartridge in my rifle, when turning to
Henry l said
"'Hen, my last cartridge is in my
gun. How are you fixed Y
"'Exactly the same, Abe was his
CHEEKY answer, and then looking down
the line to see where more ammunition
| oOnI1 ha hoH 7 HiSonuaraH that Our
skirmishers had been ordered back and
were on the ridge formed by the ledge
of rock some 80 rods to our rear, and
that the enemy's line, on each side of
us, had advanced till they were nearly
even with us on each side, bowed out
in our front where our close fire had
compelled them to keep close under
cover of the wall, but nearly far enough
to give us the benefit of a flank fire.
Turning to my friend | said: For
heavens sake, Henry, look at the llne'
A glance was sufficient. We both saw
at once our desperate position. | be-
gan to tighten up my waistbelt and
knapsack, when Henry said:
"'What are you going to do, Abe 2
"I'm going to get out of here
"'But they will shoot you the mo-
ment you show your head above those
rocks
"'All right, Hen, that's better than
Andersonville. Pm going to try it,
"Well, Abe, it's sure death, and l
will not risk it,
"'Well, Hen, here goes and shak-
ing his hand with such grip as car
ried my heart with it, | said good bye,
and taking my rifle at a trail sprang
out and ran the gauntlet around that
ledge of rocks.
Halt, you Yankee - -!
rang out from dozen rebel threats,
and their shots l suppose followed
their voices, for | noticed that one of
them had split my canteen and spilled
all my water when l got where l had
time to drink. CuriOusly enough, not
"a shot hit me and as | went over the
ledge the 'JOhnnies' cheered about as
loudly as my comrades at my fortunate
escape or my splendid exhibition of
speed, l couldn't tell which. Capt.
Bennett, of my company, greeted me
with:
"'What - little fool you were
to take that risk, but laughingly told
him, as l had poor InglesOn, that it
was better than AndersOnville, and the
sparkle in his eye told me he thought
so too.
Sergeant Ingleson had just recov-
cred from a bad wound in the leg re-
ceived at the battle of the Wilderness,
so that it was impossible for him to
make the RIM, and he was taken pris
Oner and sent to AndersOnville, where
he remained till Sherman made his
march to the sea- when he was re-
leased, and with lot of other prison
ers sent West, to the Mississippi river,
where they took a transport to come